A-List No. 4: Asa Martin continues Courtland's football legacy

Ask Asa Martin what his hometown is and he'll proudly tell you Courtland.

Martin is a four-star, 2018 running back at Austin High in Decatur, but he grew up about 21 miles west in the tiny, football-rich town of Courtland in Lawrence County.

"Growing up in Courtland, there ain't much to do around there, so me and my cousins played football out in the front yard," said Martin, the No. 4 player on AL.com's A-List of the state's top senior recruits.

Martin's family is part of Courtland's gridiron legacy. His uncle, Bruce Jones, was an All-American defensive back at UNA and a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 1986. Another uncle, Quinton Harris, played on both the offensive and defensive lines at UAB from 2003-06. A cousin, Eddrick Harris, was a defensive back at UNA from 2012-16. Cousin Eddquerion Harris is a redshirt-junior defensive tackle for the Lions.

"It means a lot," said Martin, who along with his mom and younger brother, moved to Decatur prior to his sixth-grade year. "I try to mention Courtland as much as I can; it's where I'm from. I've got so much respect for the town and the people as a whole. It's always going to be a part of me."

Family and football are intertwined for Martin. He dreams of making it to the NFL so that he can help give his mom, Sharay Harris, and brother, Austin sophomore Austin Harris, a better life. Another driving force when Martin takes the field is the memory of his grandmother, Velvet Ann Harris, who died before his eighth-grade year.

"I was always questioning 'why?' and stuff like that, but I've dealt with it in my ways," Martin said of his grandmother's death. "I've used that as motivation, as well."

Martin's strong ties to family and home - whether it be Courtland or Decatur - made his decision to play his junior season at IMG Academy in Florida difficult. During his one season at the Bradenton-based powerhouse, Martin ran for 372 yards and four touchdowns while seeing far less action than his sophomore year at Austin (1,374 yards and 12 TDs; he also played defense). Still, Martin felt the experience paid off. He left as a budding recruit weighing in at about 175 pounds, and returned at about 190 with a four-star rating.

"Because I had already went (to IMG) and got everything I needed out of it," he said. "I just wanted to come back and enjoy my senior year."

Sharay was certainly happy about Martin's homecoming. She had experienced sleepless nights and "a lot of crying."

"Coming back was exciting for him," Sharay said. "He wanted to get ahead, grab his stars and get all the offers. I'm not saying he couldn't have got them here, but him just going out and going against more talent, it gave him a broader group to go up against. I think he handled it pretty well."

Martin said he kept in touch with Austin players while in Florida and that he tried to return to watch Black Bears games if he had an off week at IMG. That helped when it came time for his return.

"I felt like I was welcomed back with open arms," he said.

Austin eighth-year coach Jeremy Perkins was pleased with the way Martin was able to reunite with his old teammates.

"He's handled it with maturity," Perkins said. "The guys welcomed him back. But he's had to come back and earn his way. He's had to prove that he's the guy. He's had to work hard. He's come back ready to go. I think he's excited about it. The players are excited about him being back."

Martin will soon make another decision regarding a move. He's set to commit Thursday, choosing between Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Clemson.

"This has been like ... I don't know how he does it. I'm overwhelmed," Sharay said of the attention Martin has received as the nation's No. 10-rated running back.

Martin, meanwhile, has been a cool customer, according to Sharay.

"It's not like you'll say, 'Hey! There's a kid with all these offers,'" she said. "If you didn't know Asa, you wouldn't be able to point him out in a crowd to say that he's that kid.

"He's real calm and laid back; very intelligent. If he sets his mind to something, he really likes to go after it."

Martin plans to graduate in December and enroll for the college spring semester, marking the next step in a journey that began with a kid playing midget-league quarterback on the fields of Courtland.

"They switched me to running back when I was 10 or 11," Martin said. "I was mad about it; I didn't want to play running back. It all worked out for the best."